If you struggle to wake up in a morning and find your bearings, a cup of hot coffee should see you right in no time at all.

A morning cup of coffee is many people’s secret to starting the day off right and if you can’t live without your morning coffee, you’ll know exactly why that is.

As great as coffee tastes, for many people, it’s the taste combined with the stimulating effects of the caffeine found within the coffee beans that really appeals to the masses.

While coffee can give you energy and have you feeling alert and energized, there are concerns over too much coffee, even considering the health benefits it provides.

To help counteract this, coffee supplements and healthy variants of coffee such as bulletproof coffee, are now all the rage.

As bizarre as it may sound, by adding coconut oil to your hot coffee, or making butter coffee, there are numerous cognitive and physical health benefits available to be enjoyed.

Here’s a look at coconut coffee and at why something as seemingly basic as coconut oil in coffee make the world of difference, not only to your health but also to the taste of the coffee as well.

What is coconut oil? 

We’ll take a look at why adding coconut oil to your coffee is such a good idea a little later on. Before we get to that however, we first need to look at what coconut oil is.

When people talk about healthy fats and healthy oils, olive oil is often the first oil that springs to mind.

While olive oil is indeed a very healthy fat, not too long ago, experts discovered that coconut oil may be an even healthier fat, especially virgin coconut oil. It is much healthier than other vegetable oils and it tastes better too.

As you might have guessed, coconut oil is a healthy, and fatty oil that is derived from coconuts.

Specifically, it comes from the milk, wick, and the flesh of coconuts. It is a saturated fat but don’t let that fool you, because this saturated fat that is rich in lauric acid is incredibly healthy.

Coconut oil is rich in MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which is one of the main reasons why it is so healthy and why you may wish to start looking for a coconut oil coffee recipe sooner, rather than later.

Coconut oil is a solid at temperatures below 25 degrees C. Below it however, it becomes a liquid. This is why a coconut oil coffee recipe calls for the oil to be melted in hot coffee, as this helps it to dissolve.

The oil is incredibly healthy and can be used for cooking with, cleansing, moisturizing, drinking, and much more besides. 

What are MCTs? 

When talking about coconut oil, MCTs will often be mentioned when it comes to the health benefits of coconut oil.

Indeed, it is thanks in part at least, to these little suckers, that our morning cup of coffee can be considered so healthy if we add coconut oil to it.

MCTs are a form of fat which contain medium length triglyceride chains. It is because these triglyceride chains are this length, that they become so healthy in the human body.

MCT oil is different to other long chain triglycerides, in that they’re easier for the body to digest and process. 

When you consume MCT oil, rather than the body breaking it down slowly and using less fat before storing what is left as energy in the form of body fat, MCT oil is digested and used by the body much quicker.

As MCT oil is used quicker, the fat is used as fuel, rather than being stored as body fat.

In coconut oil, over 50% of the fat in the oil is from MCTs. This is part of the reason why mixing coconut oil with your coffee and making bulletproof coffee (more on that later) is considered so healthy. 

Should you drink coconut oil coffee?

While we know what coconut oil is, and what makes it healthy, why specifically is it often combined with coffee, rather than other beverages?

Coffee provides caffeine which helps to stimulate the mind and body.

In particular, the stimulant has been found to provide cognitive health benefits for the brain. 

By adding coconut oil in coffee, you not only get the benefits of the lauric acid, coffee and caffeine, but also the MCT oil from the coconut.

This is part of why bulletproof coffee is so popular. Experts have found numerous benefits associated with adding coconut oil into coffee, and the taste is surprisingly delicious too. 

What is bulletproof coffee?

Bulletproof coffee is a high calorie coffee beverage popular amongst ketogenic dieters, athletes, bodybuilders, and people on low carb diets.

The drink itself consists of coffee, unsalted grass-fed butter, and MCT oil from coconut oil.

The idea behind adding coconut oil in coffee, along with the butter, is that the MCTs provide energy for your mind and your body, while also helping to reduce your appetite and improve brain health and function.

When people first started putting coconut oil in coffee, with grass-fed butter, they noticed how they felt more alert, they had more energy, and how they found it easier to maintain and regulate their weight. From there, organic coconut oil really took off, especially when mixed with unsalted butter in coffee.

Coconut oil in coffee and ketosis

As mentioned, coconut oil coffee is especially popular amongst keto dieters and people following a low carb diet.

One of the main reasons why putting MCT oil in coffee is considered so popular amongst keto dieters due to the fact that the coffee and oil mixture may help to keep you in ketosis.

When you restrict your body of carbohydrates, you restrict it of energy. The body is therefore forced to look for fuel elsewhere. The liver produces enzymes known as ketones, which the brain and body then use for energy. To produce these, your body must first enter and remain in a state of ketosis.

Your body breaks down fat during ketosis, so essentially you are burning fat for fuel. The MCTs in coconut oil help promote ketosis, which is why putting coconut oil in coffee is so beneficial for keto dieters. 

Why hot coffee with coconut oil gives you energy

Another reason why coconut oil coffee is so popular is because it gives you a sustained amount of energy.

Regular coffee gives you a temporary energy increase thanks to the caffeine, though it quickly wears off.

By making coconut oil coffee however, coconut oil’s fatty acids help to give you a sustained supply of energy, rather than a quick energy boost.

This is obviously more pleasurable than drinking coconut oil by itself.

Adding coconut oil to coffee may help speed up metabolism

Another reason why coconut oil coffee is considered to be so popular is due to the fact that MCTs in coconut oil may help to speed up the metabolism.

Adding coconut oil to coffee is a great way to give yourself more energy while also helping to speed up weight loss and keeping your digestive system healthy.

The medium chain triglycerides in the coconut oil, along with the caffeine in coffee help to have a stimulating effect on the body, which in turn raises your core body temperature and speeds up your metabolism.

Adding coconut oil into coffee is therefore a great way of increasing your energy levels and enhancing the amount of calories that you burn in a day.

How much coconut oil should you consume?

If you wish to begin using coconut oil in coffee so that you benefit from the MCTs and other nutrients found in the oil, you’re probably wondering how much coconut oil you should use.

Experts recommend that you start small and go with a tablespoon of coconut oil added to warm coffee.

You can add a little natural vanilla extract for sweetness.

As time goes by you can double this to two tablespoons of coconut oil in coffee, which is around 28 grams.

Just be aware that if you make bulletproof coffee with MCTs in, the coconut oil and the butter will increase your calories. On keto however, the extra calories from the coconut oil will be welcome.

So, if you drink coffee anyway, why not add a tablespoon or two of extra virgin coconut oil? Coconut oil in coffee makes the coffee healthier, and tastier too.